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Dialogue Wth Pro-Biafra Protesters, IYC Tells FG …Agitation Threatens Igbo Presidency In 2023- APC
The umbrella body of the Ijaw youth, Ijaw Youth Council Worldwide (IYC), has called on the Federal Government to adopt dialogue in the resolution of the issues giving rise to pro-Biafra protests in some parts of the country.
The IYC, in a statement by its spokesman, Mr. Eric Omare, yesterday, said adopting a military approach to crush pro-Biafra protesters as being suggested by some military operatives was not the solution.
The youth body said such approach would only escalate the crisis, and therefore, warned against military brutalisation and human rights abuse by security agencies.
The IYC said, “The right to peaceful protest is an integral part of a democratic society.
“The massive pro-Biafra protests in recent times have once more brought to the fore the need to honestly and holistically renegotiate the terms of Nigeria’s existence as a nation.
“To claim that all is well with Nigeria is self-deceit. The structure of Nigeria must be such that would allow people from different regions to develop at their own pace towards realisation of the full potential which is being hindered by the wish of people from other parts of the country.”
The IYC once again called for the release of Nnamdi Kanu, the founder of Radio Biafra and director of the Indigenous people of Biafra.
It said Kanu, having been granted bail, and bail conditions fulfilled, it amounted to illegality for the Directorate of State Security to continue to keep him in detention.
The IYC advised national security agencies to have regard for the rule of law in the exercise of their constitutional functions.
Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the South-East, yesterday, kicked against the on-going agitation for the actualisation of Biafra, warning that the development could scuttle Igbos’ chance of producing the country’s president in 2023.
Spokesman for the South-East APC Leadership Caucus, Mr. Osita Okechukwu, reacted to the on-going agitation in a statement which was made available to our correspondent in Enugu.
Renewed agitation for Biafra, which was partly triggered by the detention of the leader of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), and director of Radio Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, had led to massive protests in major cities of the South-East and South-South.
The protesters, including members of the IPOB and the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), are demanding the recognition of Biafra, and Kanu’s immediate release.
The development had divided opinion among leaders in the South-East, and there are reports that state governors and other major stakeholders would meet in Enugu on Tuesday to deliberate on the matter.
However, the South-East APC has urged the agitators to “stop beating their war drum” in the interest of the Igbos.
Okechukwu, in the statement, expressed confidence that President Muhammadu Buhari would honour the zoning convention by handing power to the South at the end of his second term in 2023.
Noting that an Igbo is best positioned to emerge as president when the office rotates to the South in 2023, Okechukwu said the pro-Biafra agitation should not be allowed to scuttle the chance.
He said, “Going by the zoning convention, equity and natural justice, surely the Presidency will rotate to the South in 2023.
“And when the presidency rotates to the South in 2023, we (Igbos) have all the cards stacked in our favour to appeal to our brothers in the South-West, who have had eight years stint, and our South-South brothers, who had five years plus in the presidency since 1999, when the 4th Republic commenced.
“Every rational indicator favours Ndigbo and so, we need to drop our hate propaganda and wait patiently to harvest the turn of the South-East,” he said.
Vice President Kashim Shettima has arrived in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for an official State visit at the invitation of the Prime Minister, Dr. Abiy Ahmed.
Upon arrival yesterday, Shettima was received at the airport by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, Dr. Gedion Timothewos, and other members of the Ethiopian and Nigerian diplomatic corps.
Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Communication, Stanley Nkwocha, revealed this in a statement he signed yesterday, titled: “VP Shettima arrives in Ethiopia for official state visit.”
During the visit, Vice President Shettima will participate in the official launch of Ethiopia’s Green Legacy Programme, a flagship environmental initiative.
The programme designed to combat deforestation, enhance biodiversity, and mitigate the adverse effects of climate change targets the planting of 20 billion tree seedlings over a four-year period.
In line with strengthening bilateral ties in agriculture and industrial development, the Vice President will also embark on a strategic tour of key industrial zones and integrated agricultural facilities across selected regions of Ethiopia.
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RSG Tasks Farmers On N4bn Agric Loan ….As RAAMP Takes Sensitization Campaign To Four LGs In Rivers
The Rivers State Government has called on the people of the state especially farmers to access the ?4billion agricultural loans made available by the State and domiciled in the Bank of Industry.
This is as the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) of Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP), a World Bank project, took its sensitization campaign to Opobo/Nkoro, Andoni, Port Harcourt City and Obio/Akpor local government areas.
The campaign was aimed at enlightening community dwellers and other stakeholders in the various local government areas on the RAAMP project implementation and programme activities.
The Permanent Secretary, Rivers State Ministry of Agriculture, Mr Maurice Ogolo, said this at Opobo town, Ngo, Port Harcourt City and Rumuodumanya, headquarters of the four local government areas respectively, during the sensitization campaign.
Ogolo said apart from the ?4billion, the government has also made available fertilizers and other farm inputs to farmers in the various local government areas.
The Permanent Secretary who is the Chairman, State Steering Committee for the project, said RAAMP will construct roads that will connect farms to markets to enable farmers and fishermen sell their farms produce and fishes.
He also said rural roads would be constructed to farms and fishing settlements, and warned against any act that will lead to the cancellation of the projects in the four local government areas.
According to him, the World Bank and Federal Government which are the financiers of the programme will not condone such acts like kidnapping, marching ground and other acts inimical to the successful implementation of the projects in their respective areas.
At PHALGA, Ogolo asserted that the city will benefit in the areas of roads and bridge construction.
He noted that RAAMP was thriving in both the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja; Lagos and other states in the country, stressing that the project should also be given the seriousness it deserves in Rivers State.
Speaking at Opobo town, the headquarters of Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Area, the project coordinator, RAAMP, Mr.Joshua Kpakol, said the programme would reduce poverty in the state.
According to him, both fishermen and farmers will maximally benefit from the programme.
At Ngo which is the headquarters of Andoni Local Government Area, Kpakol said roads will be constructed to all remote fishing settlements.
He said Rivers State is lucky to be among the states implementing the project, and stressed the need for the people to embrace it.
Meanwhile, Kpakol said at PHALGA that RAAMP is a project that will transform the lives of farmers, traders and other stakeholders in the area.
He urged the stakeholders to spread the information to their various communities.
However, some of the stakeholders at Opobo town complained about the destruction of their farms by bulls allegedly owed by traditional rulers in the area, as well as incessant stealing of their canoes at waterfronts.
At Ngo, Archbishop Elkanah Hanson, founder of El-Shaddai Church, commended the World Bank and the Federal Government for bringing the projects to Andoni.
He stressed the need for the construction of roads to fishing settlements in the area.
Also, a former Commissioner for Agriculture in the state and Okan Ama of Ekede, HRH King Gad Harry, noted that storage facilities have become necessary for a successful agricultural programme.
Harry also stressed the need for the programme to be made sustainable.
In their separate speeches, the administrators of Andoni and Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Areas, pledged their readiness to support the programme.
At Port Harcourt City, the Administrator, Dr Arthur Kalagbor, represented by the Head of Local Government Administration, Port Harcourt City, Mr Clifford Paul, said the city would support the implementation of the programme in the area.
Also, the administrator of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, Dr Clifford Ndu Walter, represented by Mr Michael Elenwo, pledged to support the programme in his local government area.
Among dignitaries at the Obio/Akpor stakeholders engagement is the chairman, Rivers State Traditional Rulers Council and paramount ruler of Apara Kingdom, HRM Eze Chike Wodo, amongst others.
John Bibor
President Bola Tinubu has ordered the commencement of personnel audit and skill gap analysis across all cadres of federal civil servants.
The president gave this directive in Abuja, yesterday, while speaking at the International Civil Service Conference, reaffirming his resolve to achieve efficiency and professional service delivery in the civil service.
“I have authorized the comprehensive personnel audit and skill gap analysis across the federal civil service to deepen capacity. I urge all responsible stakeholders to prioritize timely completion of this critical exercise, to begin implementing targeted reforms, to realize the full benefit of a more agile, competent and responsive civil service,” the president announced.
Tinubu further directed all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), to prioritise data integrity and sovereignty in national interest.
He called for the capture, protection and strategic publication of public sector data in line with the Nigeria Data Protection Act of 2023.
“We must let our data speak for us. We must publish verified data assets within Nigeria and share them internationally recognized as fruitful. This will allow global benchmarking organisation to track our progress in real time and help us strengthen our position on the world stage. This will preserve privacy and uphold data sovereignty,” Tinubu added.
President Tinubu hailed the federal civil service as the “engine” driving his Renewed Hope Agenda, and the vehicle for delivering sustainable national development.
He submitted that the roles of civil servants remain indispensable in modern governance, declaring that in the face of a fast-evolving digital and economic landscape, the civil service must remain agile, future-ready, and results-driven.
“This maiden conference is a bold step toward redefining governance in an era of rapid transformation. An innovative Civil Service ensures we meet today’s needs and overcome tomorrow’s challenges.
“It captures our collective ambition to reimagine and reposition the civil service. In today’s rapid, evolving world of technology, innovation remains critical in ensuring that the civil service is dynamic, digital” the President said.
Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Walson-Jack in her welcome address told the President that his presence and strong words of commendation at the conference has renewed the morale and mandate of public servants across the country.
Walson-Jack described Tinubu as the backbone of driving transformation in the Nigerian civil service, and noted that the takeaways from past study tours undertaken to understudy the civil service in Singapore, the UK and US under her leadership, is already yielding multiplier effects.
Walson-Jack assured Tinubu that her office, in collaboration with reform-minded stakeholders, will not relent in accelerating the implementation of the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan, FCSSIP 25.
She affirmed that digitalisation, performance management, and continuous learning remain key pillars in strengthening accountability, transparency, and service delivery across MDAs.
Walson-Jack reaffirmed that the civil service is determined to exceed expectations by embedding a culture of innovation, ethical leadership, and citizen-centred governance in the heart of public administration.